Saturday, February 7, 2026

Laundry Stripping

I've used powdered Tide detergent forever, and have been happy with how it cleans, but Tide alone hasn't been able to fix built up oils in pillowcases. I learned detailed steps for laundry stripping on Reddit.

The water is supposed to stay hot for hours, and many people strip laundry in a cooler, so I lugged our heavy 15 gallon cooler up the steps and put it into the bathtub so it could be easily filled and drained. Filling turned out to be a problem because the cooler wouldn't fit under the spigot, so I folded a flexible cutting board to shunt the water into the cooler. 

I filled the cooler halfway with hot water (about 7 gallons) and added 1.5 cups of Tide with Bleach (which contains both lipase to cut oils and oxygen for stains and odors). I used a paint stick to stir the solution until the detergent was dissolved, then added two sets of sheets and submerged them. I sealed the cooler and let it soak for 8 hours. The water was quite warm still after 8 hours, so the cooler worked. I drained the cooler into the tub and used a 5 gallon bucket to get the drained sheets to the washing machine. I set the machine to hot water, heavy soil and an extra rinse, and I poured 1 cup of 4% ammonia solution on the sheets and put Tide powder in the dispenser. I cleaned the cooler with vinegar and then Simple Green to limit the scent of the detergent. 

The pillowcases did come out whiter and cleaner. This is a fair bit of effort, so I wouldn't see doing this more than 1-2 times/year based on need.

Ham Buns

These are great for a party.

  • 2 lbs ham (I buy whole boneless ham portion from Costco and slice it)
  • 1 lb swiss cheese, sliced
  • 24 small/Hawaiian buns
Prepare sandwiches and put in two 9x13 pans.

Mix, boil then cool for 10 min:

  • 2 sticks butter
  • 2 Tbsp yellow mustard
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar (recipe calls for 4, I find that too sweet)
  • 2 Tbsp poppyseeds, optional
Baste liquid over sandwiches. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Bake at 325 for 25 min, uncovered 5-10. Serve hot.
Before basting and baking